“We often find that the states that are most aggressive on policy measure also fall behind traditionally in achievement, and their aggressive policy agenda is designed to remedy that situation," Lloyd said.

Louisiana gets a boost for defining kindergarten and school readiness, adopting Common Core academic standards, and pushing high schools to provide college or career prep curriculum.

For k-12 student achievement, Louisiana gets an 'F' for a third year in a row. The state is ranked 48th in that category, ahead of only Mississippi, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.